


Team

by cactusss



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Ambiguous/Open Ending, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-27
Updated: 2019-03-27
Packaged: 2019-12-18 16:05:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18253220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cactusss/pseuds/cactusss
Summary: Taeil bring Taeyong's cupcakes home but he doesn't eat them.





	Team

It's the only place that still has their lamps turned bright from metres away. In this side of town where in the day people will flock like ants with sweet. But when the sun goes down and night blankets the town, people slowly scatter and the unspoken curfew starts. It is the end for today.

This place is the only place he can be comfortable on his own and the one that is still open. The smell he had on his nose the first time he opened the space, tingling bell above the door, has now drifted away. Becoming less and less by the second, replaced by rushing sounds here and there coming from Doyoung and Taeyong. They are speaking in whisper, in what Taeil thinks is an attempt to make sure he won't hear any of it. He has a picture of how it actually happens now playing on his mind.

_“How do we tell him?” Taeyong's hand now is holding the leftover bread, the other one is trying to grab a tissue. It fails and Taeyong’s hand just catches air, since Taeyong’s eyes are not focused on both objects but working hard to take a glance at Taeil without being obvious. He fails at this as well._

_Doyoung feels bad for his boyfriend, so he takes one sheet of tissue and gives it to him, “Just like usual, tell him we are going to close.”_

_Taeyong scoffed, “but he seems to be so busy these days. It's already an exam week. Imagine how much works he has to do!”_

_Doyoung stares hard at his boyfriend. He knows Taeyong will think of thousand reasons if he needs to. “He may have some work unfinished, Doyoung.” The first reason comes, delivered in a one tad louder than a whisper._

_Doyoung rolls his eyes. Taeyong's habit to be loud when he gives his piece of mind surely will get them caught someday. “So what are we supposed to do!?” Doyoung now raises his voice too. No matter how much he dislikes Taeyong for raising his voice when they’re supposed to talk in secret, he tends to follow it either way. They’re not the best couple in this universe._

_“I don't know, Doyoung! I hate it when we have to kick him away.”_

_“But, we are not kicking him away, Taeyong. We are just going to tell him to go home because it’s already closing time...” Doyoung trails his last word, unconsciously making his voice stoop low so much but still makes sure Taeyong is capable of hearing it. Taeyong eyebrows crinkled, it’s supposed to be annoyed pout but it just turns adorable in his eyes. Taeyong despises closing time as much as he hates kicking Taeil away._

_He doesn't like the idea. He hates that._

_“Poor thing, that Taeil,” Taeyong says at last._

_Doyoung lifts his hand and rubs his boyfriend's shoulder, “He’s not a poor thing, Taeyong. We’re just going to close and he will go back to his dorm and hopefully gets some sleep.”_

_After seconds pass, Taeyong nods. He understands what Doyoung says is true._

It plays like that in Taeil's mind and it seems the picture is accurate enough. Because now, Taeyong eyes him sadly, pitying him- and Taeil knows in matter of minutes Taeyong will tell him, indirectly, to go home. He doesn't want to wait for it, so he saves his work on his notebook, waits for the saving progress to finish. He then takes his scattered pen and note and paper, purging it inside his brown backpack.

Taeyong watches all scenes unfold and now strides toward Taeil. A face full of regret comes into his full view. "Don't worry Taeyong," Taeil assures him before he can speak a word, "it's a bit late anyway."

Taeyong nods agreeing Taeil’s words. Likely out of habit. It is practically 2 hours past their normal closing time, but Taeyong doesn’t say anything.

"It's okay. Come again tomorrow, okay? Exam week is always harsh for anyone, I understand it."

Taeil lightly chuckles, thinking that Taeyong is really lovely. "Thanks, Taeyong. 3 days left, I think I can manage it." Taeil assures him, hoping it sounds plausible enough.

Taeyong gives him a pat on the back and looks around Taeil's table. It was messy five minutes ago and now his notebook charger is the only thing left. "Everything saved in your bag?" Taeil answers this with a nod.

"Wait here!" Taeyong eyes round, catching Taeil’s attention. "Some people are apparently getting bored with my baby pumpkin cupcake. We still have some left, if you want.” He pauses for a moment before adding. “Take and eat it when you get home. You haven’t had anything today.” Taeyong then remembers he gets back and forth to Taeil’s table only for bringing various types of tea and goes back to pantry to give Doyoung the dishes, “except drink, I guess.”

"Sure, Taeyong. I like that pumpkin cupcake," and Taeyong jogs to the pantry, leaving Taeil to go back with his necessity. Not long after, Taeyong returns to his side with a small box they use for taking to-go cupcakes the customer wants. “We’ll have Doyoung’s special tomorrow now that my baby pumpkin is outdated.”

Taeil chuckles hearing what Taeyong says and makes a mental note to buy at least one or two baby pumpkins the next time it’s on market again. He slings his bag pack on his shoulder and is ready to go. “Tell Doyoung thank you for this and see you again tomorrow.”

“I will.”

They walk toward the door and Taeyong pushes it open, “see you tomorrow, Taeil.” Taeil answers it with smile and gently waves his hand. The bell rings again after Taeyong closes his door.

Now that he’s outside he can see clearly how late it is. It’s late at night, almost morning by the point, and nobody is outside anymore. The crowded stores surrounding the street in the day are now closed. This time, people are either dead asleep or living a party. This is except a tiny black shadow he sees in his peripheral vision, creeping to his direction fast. It almost runs towards him, each second looking bigger.

It passes in front of a thrift book store Taeil always drops in before goes to Taeyong’s coffee shop. A whip of wind beats Taeil’s face when the shadow passes. A very tall boy with a brown sugar sweatshirt and black jeans, rumpled from head to toe. He takes wide steps, and Taeil can hear them clearly, courtesy of the black boots the boy has on. 

One fourth of people in this city are students, so it is safe to assume he is one. A peak of messy bed hair coming under the hoodie he is wearing, trail of cloud forming result of the night breeze. From the slip of seconds they pass, Taeil can see he just woke up merely half an hour ago. Ninety percent certain he’s a student.

Walking few minutes longer, he can see his apartment building. It doesn’t catch much attention, a three story building with four windows in row for each floor. The owner covers the wall with a red brick paint which needs to be repainted now.

He takes a glance on the second floor where he lives. The windows there welcome him back with a wink, with two windows shining white while the others are black.

It’s few minutes later that Taeil finally fishes in his pocket for his apartment keys. He puts the key in the hole and unlocks it when the door of his neighbor across his room opens wide followed by a trail of voice, “No… Cupcake, Johnny. Yuta only wants a cupcake!”

Taeil turns his back and sees his neighbor stand in front of his door, phone in one hand and pouting. Taeil knows this tenant, a Thai boy a year younger than him, streak of blue hair here and there in his salt and pepper head. It looks messy but with that face, people will take a second look only to have his features carved in their memory. Ten, the said boy, greets him with a wave of his hand and an apologetic smile on his face.

“Hi Taeil. Just finished your paper?” Ten asks him, one hand covering the phone.

“Yeah.”

Ten knows about his habit to go to Taeyong’s shop and be back home at midnight. He’s also the one who recommends the cafe to Taeil. Taeyong is apparently Ten’s senior in high school. Besides, Ten never seems to sleep either. That’s why sometimes he sees glimpse of Taeil from his window, pacing in the middle of the night to get inside their building after he spends hours at Taeyong’s.

“Something wrong?” Taeil asks after he opens his door, revealing his room. It’s dark due to lack of light, even the curtain pulled closed.

“Nothing.” Ten chirps, both hands still on his phone next to his ear. Taeil can’t help but catch what he would almost consider a pout slipping onto Ten’s face. “Yuta just suddenly started craving cupcakes so much and a useless friend of mine can’t find any bakery open at this hour.”

A small voice coming from the phone Ten is holding after he finishes his sentence. Surely, anyone on the other side of that phone call may just screaming from Ten’s statement.

Taeil knows Yuta. A Japanese boy who always comes to Ten’s place, to the point where he practically lives there. He remembers when Ten gave him a late notice that Yuta is actually his boyfriend, just after Taeil kicked his shin. It was an afternoon when he saw Yuta was trying to break and enter Ten’s room. With how Yuta always has his piercings all around his ear, it isn’t Taeil’s fault he thought Yuta was just a burglar.

“Shut it!” Ten snaps to whoever it is on the other end, “I told you to go straight to Taeyong’s place. If you went there first, they’d probably still have some left.”

Ten’s brow furrows together angrily, almost making a V-shape on his forehead. “Whatever. Just go back to my place. I can’t deal with Yuta alone being clingy and sick. I need you to take care of me in case I get sick, too.” With that Ten presses an end button on his screen. It’s two seconds later that Taeil gets his attention back.

“Sorry about that, Taeil.” Ten winces. His face turns doleful.

Taeil chuckles a bit, living across Ten (also Yuta) for these two years certainly gives him something to listen day and night. Ten snapping at someone else is considered music to his ears. “Yuta is sick?”

“Yeah, he’s had fever since this afternoon.” Ten eyes fall to the floor. “I was going to call you before once I saw your room was still dark, but I think your phone was off.”

“My phone?” Taeil eyes wide with confusion. He hasn’t checked his phone at all since he entered Taeyong’s shop. He looks for his phone in his bag, and he sees the screen is dark even after pressing home button furiously.

“Oh Ten. I’m sorry. I didn’t know…”

“It’s okay Taeil. Don’t think about it too much.” Ten throws him a reassuring smile. Taeil knows Ten means all of it, but he still can’t help the churning feeling he feels in his stomach. If only Taeyong didn’t give him all of the leftover pumpkin cupcakes.

Oh?

It was his treats! Taeyong sent him away with all those cupcakes!

He gave him all those pumpkin cupcakes!

Taeil puts his hand back and grabs the box he has inside his bag. “Taeyong gave me these! Oh God! Ten, I’m sorry! I totally forgot about them.” Taeil slides the box under Ten’s nose. It isn’t warm anymore but the smell of pumpkin greets him. 

Ten’s face beams when he catches the smell from the box under his nose, “this is Tayeong’s? Are they cupcakes?” He asks, dumbfounded by his sheer luck. Which Taeil answers by nodding his head violently. He’s sure he hears his neck creaking under this little abuse.

“Oh God! Taeil, thank you for these!” Ten takes the box and opens it before jumping on his toes. His eyes are all crescent moon, smile almost taking over his whole face. Taeil laughs at Ten. Unlike him, Ten really an open book. His expressions and gestures are abundant. What he feels becomes obvious to people who watch him, and now Taeil just incredibly happy only by seeing Ten jumping around.

“I’ll go inside then. Hope Yuta will get better with those.” He tells Ten after he finally let him free from a bone-crushing hug.

“He will! He’s begged for this cupcake for the past two hours. Thank you so much Taeil.”

“Don’t mind it.” He motions his hand dismissively toward Ten, then waving good bye at him, “good night Ten.”

He hears Ten’s “night Taeil,” before he finally closes his door. His hand fumbles into the wall to turn on the lamp. It’s after his room turns bright when he hears voices outside.

“How did you get that?!” A deep voice sounds a pitch higher than normal outside his door. It isn’t Ten’s, but he sometimes hears this voice coming from Ten’s room, thundering about his victory to kill Yuta after severe gun noises. Taeil assumes it probably the one on the phone before.

“Taeil gave it to me.” Ten’s answer comes later.

“Who is Taeil?” Now he seems a bit of angry and annoyed.

“It’s my neighbor, Johnny.”

“What?! The one that didn’t answer his phone?”

“Yes. Now if you can stop screeching, he’s living just across the hall. Talk calmly, you kid.” Ten says followed by a door creaking opened and then closed.

Taeil is going to slip off his shoes when he hears a voice right outside his door.

“Next time just turn on your phone, dear neighbor.” Ten’s friend talks bitterly, “I had a midnight run because of you.”

Taeil’s ear perks with the sound and his body goes rigid. The boy outside, from his voice to the tone he uses, Taeil can imagine this person is actually detesting every second Taeil’s phone was off. Adding to the fact that he had to visit Taeyong’s only to find it was already gone. Taeil would have been irritated also if it was him.

It’s his fault and not his fault at the same time, but Taeil doesn’t think he passes the perimeter to get accused blindly by this person. “Okay, I will.” He retorts the person outside. A second later he tightened his lips, flipping out by his outburst and regrets it immensely

Taeil is so occupied by his own thought, he can’t hear anything for the next minute. It isn’t until the loud stomping sound regains his attention back. It dies quick with Ten’s door being slammed.

**Author's Note:**

> Congrats! for finally finish reading this. And also thank you for coming here. Thank you also for shauna for beta-ing this one 💗. It's my first work for NCT so sorry if this is far from good. Please tell me what you think! Thank you...


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